Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-12-01
WASHING oiL.cLoTHs.
ASW to Do It ara What Material shoag1
He Used In Doing It

4
Ac~ 60 Do 1t ana What Material sh0aIt
Re Used In DOingIt
10 Keep oil-clOth looking nice it il
essential that proper attention shall be
given to the washing of it. Nothing
will ruin it quicker than carelessness
IN this. and it will take very few wash
ings of this kind to do it. A good
housewife Is more careful of her oil
cloth than of her best carpet. for the
latter. not being in use rs often, she
knows does not require as much care;
while the former, being in constant
use, needs to be looked after very care
fully In order to have it present rs
good an appearance as possible. An
oll-cloth that has been neglected, aside
from its not looking as we'll, will not
last as long rs the one that has been
cared for carefully.
Too frequent washing, no matter
how well it is done, will not improve
oil-cloth in the end. Usually this is
the Kind of treatment it receives, for
few housewives seem TO recognize the
difference between 4 dusty oiI-cloth and
a dirty one, and treat both the same.
After it has had n thorough sweeping,
If it looks dull and dusty, go over it, a
little at time, with dry mop cloth,
frequently shaking the cloth outside to
relieve it of the dust collected in its
work, and it will look as bright rs
though washed and will wear a great
| deal longer. Frequent dustings of the
oil-cloth will save it many washings.
and the housewife also some extra time
and strength. A long-handled mop is
| Just the thing for this work, for with it's
aid the floor can be gone over in one
half the time, or even less. than if done
by hand, and look every bit as bright
and clean.
Never use soap in the water when
washing oil-cloth; it is good for great
many things but this is not one of
them. 1t will, to be sure, remove any
grease or dirt there may be, but with
1t it will also remove the paint and
fade the colors. An oil-cloth that has
been always washed in soap and water
rs easily discovered by its faded lcok.
Ammonia should never be used in the
water, which is one of the few things
for which it can not be recommended,
although some women use it for this
work. 1t may not injure the colors or
remove the paint, but it will deaden
the luster and give to the cloth a dull,
dead look. There are very few house
wives that do not know that brush
rare occasions, and that only very
soft one should be used then. When
an Oil-cloth has been neglected. and
by faulty washings or dryings the
water or suds has been allowed to set
tie and dry between the rough sur
faces, brush is the only thing that
will thoroughly remove it, but it should
be a soft one and used as lightly as
possible, but just enough securing done
to loosen and remove the sediment.
Use clean, warm water, or milk and
water. which is much to be preferred
when it can be conveniently obtained.
With clean flannel cloth wash as
large space as you can without doing
much reaching. Have a dry cloth Of
flannel or coarse crash for a wiper,
and after wiping as well as the
wrung-out damp cloth will admit, go
over it again with a dry cloth. being
careful that no sediment is left in the
corrugated surface, and wipe thor
oughly dry. Go over the whole floor in
this way, then let stand until all the
dampness has disappeared and it is
perfectly dry. Warm some linseed
oil. and with a flannel cloth apply
it while yet warm to the oil-cloth. The
trouble with most housewives when
using oils is that they use too much,
when very little is all that is neces-
sary. Rub very little into the oil
cloth, just to give it nice gloss. If
too much is used it will be worse than
none, for the cloth Will be sticky, and
catch and keep every particle of dust
touching it If linseed oil is not conve-
nient. kerosene will do very well, but
even this should be used sparingly, or
like the linseed it will do more harm
than good.
In the country, skina-milk is often
used for washing oil-cloth. and is an
excellent thing for this purpose, as it
gives the cloth beautiful gloss and
dispenses with the use of oils altOgeth-
er.-BOsto1s Budget.